The present disclosure relates to infusion therapy with vascular access devices. Infusion therapy is one of the most common health care procedures. Hospitalized, home care, and other patients receive fluids, pharmaceuticals, and blood products via a vascular access device inserted into the vascular system. Infusion therapy may be used to treat an infection, provide anesthesia or analgesia, provide nutritional support, treat cancerous growths, maintain blood pressure and heart rhythm, or many other clinically significant uses.
Infusion therapy is facilitated by a vascular access device. The vascular access device may access a patient's peripheral or central vasculature. The vascular access device may be indwelling for short term (days), moderate term (weeks), or long term (months to years). The vascular access device may be used for continuous infusion therapy or for intermittent therapy.
A common vascular access device is a catheter that is inserted into a patient's vein. The catheter length may vary from a few centimeters for peripheral access to many centimeters for central access. The catheter may be inserted transcutaneously or may be surgically implanted beneath the patient's skin. The catheter, or any other vascular access device attached thereto, may have a single lumen or multiple lumens for infusion of many fluids simultaneously. A group of vascular access and other devices used to access the vasculature of a patient may be collectively referred to as an extravascular system.
One example of an extravascular system including a catheter is the BD NEXIVA™ Closed IV (intravenous) Catheter System, by Becton, Dickinson and Company. This system includes an over-the-needle, peripheral intravascular catheter made from polyurethane, another catheter used as an integrated extension tubing with a Y adapter and slide clamp, a vent plug, a Luer access port, and a passive needle-shielding mechanism.
The design of the BD NEXIVA™ IV catheter can be described as a closed system since it protects clinicians or operators from blood exposure during the catheter insertion procedure. Since the needle is withdrawn through a septum that seals, after the needle has been removed and both ports of the Y adapter are closed, blood is contained within the NEXIVA™ device during catheter insertion. The pressure exerted on the needle as it passes through the septum wipes blood from the needle, further reducing potential blood exposure. The slide clamp on the integrated extension tubing is provided to eliminate blood exposure when the vent plug is replaced with another vascular access device such as an infusion set connection or a Luer access port.
A current procedure of initiating the use of an extravascular system such as the BD NEXIVA™ Closed IV Catheter System is as follows. A device operator will insert the needle into the vasculature of a patient and wait for flashback of blood to travel into the device to confirm that the needle is properly located within the vasculature of the patient. The blood travels into and along the catheter of the device because a vent plug permits air to escape the device as blood enters the device. After an operator confirms proper placement, the operator clamps the catheter to halt the progression of blood through the catheter, removes the vent plug, replaces the vent plug with another vascular access device such as an infusion set connection or a Luer access port, unclamps the catheter, flushes the blood from the catheter back into the vasculature of the patient, and re-clamps the catheter.
Many current procedures like the procedure described above present challenges that need to be overcome. For example, the procedure may include an unnecessary number of steps and amount of time to simply insert and prepare an extravascular system for use within the vasculature of a patient. Further, by removing the vent plug, the fluid path of the system is temporarily exposed to potential contamination from the external environment of the extravascular system.
Rather than using a vent plug, some operators attempt to solve the problem above by simply loosening a Luer access device and permitting air to escape from the system during flashback and then tightening the Luer access device to stop blood from advancing along the catheter. Unfortunately, this procedure is also prone to user error, a lack of consistent and accurate control of blood flow through the system potentially leading to blood exposure and loss of body fluids, and unnecessary risk of contamination.
Thus, what are needed are improvements to many of the systems and methods described above. Such systems and methods can be improved by providing more efficient extravascular venting systems and methods.